she was assaulted. >> he started running. >> her description is similar to an attack that occurred tuesday night along the same block. in that case a 15-year-old girl was fondled. other women were also attacked in this area. during the interview i tracked down an investigator looking into what could be five similar attacks in this community. residents are on alert. especially this woman, who says she was recently accosted just a few blocks away. >> in the neighborhood, we never, ever lock the door. we are locking all of the time all of the doors.

>> in all of these cases no one was seriously injured. the suspect was described as someone with a dark doty -- goatee and there was a west springfield high school student who reported she was being followed home by somebody in a vehicle, and she was able to get to her home, run in, and lock the door. another creep the incident, and we do not know if it is connected -- another creepy incident. >> another frightening incident, this one in alexandria. people are searching for a man behind a sexual assault on holmes run parkway. she was able to break free and get away. an elderly man has been

critically injured after an attack in silver spring, just minutes from his home. police are looking for the attacker. tom joins us with the latest. >> right now, police are stopping cars, handing out fliers, saying to pleasebecause right now, they have very little to go on. this is a picture of the 72- year-old, give information if they have some, candelario guevara- guzman, who was reportedly found beaten. he was attacked, but he was dragged somewhere over here, between the dumpsters and this sense. that is where he was spent perhaps seven hours later. they say he is in critical condition in the hospital.

they are asking for information. he was found by his two sons, who had gone out to look for him. they discovered him near those dumpsters. they say he is a nice man, well liked, and they cannot understand why somebody would have attacked him like this. >> the community has to help somebody. this cannot happen to anybody else someone like my father someone who could not defend himself. >> they are not sure who would have wanted to attack him. police stopping cars in the neighborhood, asking folks if they saw anything. it could have been as long as seven hours between when he was attacked and when he was found by his two sons.

they are hoping that in that time somebody saw something. the victim is expected to survive in this case but his family says he will probably be dealing with brain injuries for the rest of his life. abc 7 news. >> all right thank you. tough to hear. some police officers are facing accusations of brutality by an officer from another department. in prince george's county, we have more. kend the lawsuit was filed in circuit court. it claims the officers abused and beat up a d.c. cop while trying to arrest him. it was outside the ebony inn.

one man had just gotten off of the job and was drinking, when some police officers ordered him to stand against the wall. he told them that he, too was an officer, and then -- >> they punched me several times in the face. >> they say it was not until they saw his badge that they stopped. >> d.c. police. >> he was cited for having an open alcohol container and resisting arrest. they say the officers had force to get him under control and his claim was backed up by one patron at the ebony inn today. >> he was not resisting arrest at all. >> it is hard to understand how

police officers from the two departments got into this in the first place. >> they should have relaxed a little bit anyway. >> since his arrest this past weekend, the officer has been placed on something they call noncontact status, which basically means they have revoke all of his powers as a police officer right now -- they have revoked all of his powers as a police officer right now. >> as promised bob and doug, some 80's outside. >> from the belfort furre weather center, it is still 80 degrees right now in the city and it will stay monday through the evening hours, as well -- it

will stay muggy. it will be muggy for a day or so much cooler by the weekend. 81 in frederick, 85 in fredericksburg. temperatures dropping into the 70's. we will have more, coming up in just a few minutes aliso >> tonight the first presidential debate 2012 starts in just a few hours, and we are joined from the site of the debate in denver. hi. >> tonight's debate focuses on domestic issues, including the economy. 90 minutes. it is a high-stakes showdown. tonight, president obama and mitt romney finally stepped in to the same -- step into the

same ring, the president preparing for tough questions about the struggling economy and why he deserves a second term. analysts say the focus -- >> i think the president is all about his mannerisms and style at this point. he cannot come across as irritable or impatient. >> the mitt romney's campaign -- the mitt romney campaign they say he needs to connect with voters and show he does connect with them. it is one thing to do it on the campaign trail, another when it is just a few feet away. >> he has to turn this into it

be not a referendum about himself. -- into it being not a referendum about himself. most americans think the president will win the debate. and the romney campaign is hoping they will get a much- needed boost. >> thank you very much for that. we want to know what you are thinking and you can tell us us -- tell us that. you can go to our website wjla.com and you can weigh in and also see what others are thinking. this is all in real time. we will get a wrap-up on abc 7 news at 11:00.

>> the washington nationals and foremost this is going to go down as the day when our dear old teddy won the race. >> today, we started off talking to fans about the fact that the nationals are the champions the final game of an unprecedented season. people were taking the day off of work and taking their kids out of school and then it began. something happened that has never happened before. teddy, a bobblehead mascot, topping the history-making baseball season. >> you just knew it was a sign. teddy was going to win this one. >> teddy always loses the

presidents race. actually, according to the founder of a website, he lost 525 times. >> i had to be here when it happened. >> it could be next year. >> senator john mccain tweeted -- for fans, it was a finality -- finale to an unprecedented season. >> however -- >> i do not know if you have

heard about this but there was a a little bit of controversy. a mascot tackled some others. the question is, did teddy win on his own abilities? >> a win is a win. on a much more serious note, still to come on abc 7 news at 5:00 it has been years since the day of terrowe will hear from the wife of the man behind it all. >> and we will tell you how a doing. >> and by offering people whose candidate loses, a trip to leave

the country. >>

krystal conwell : we see a lot of problems with the... number of students that we have. resources. materials. things that the children need... on a day-to-day sis. anncr: question seven will help. the departmentf legislative services says question seven... will mean hundreds of millions of dollars... for scols...from gaming revenues that would have... gone to other states. and independent audits will guara krystal conwell: i think people should vote for question... seven because i think it will be a great benefit to children. >> more concerns tonight for american airlines after an emergency landing in dallas. >> it turned out to be a false

alarm, but it comes as the airline is grappling with the problem of seats. kris van cleave has more. >> maintenance teams are working on the loose-seat issue as another plane makes an emergency landing, and some are starting to question what is at the heart of these issues. another day, another problem for american airlines. this time, an apparent in flight issue, forcing the flight going to st. louis to make an emergency landing last night. >> we are coming back into dallas. i did get all three gear back down into position. >> the plane landed safely, but some wonder if the ongoing american airlines dispute is a factor. >> the rest of us are thinking.

>> awful timing for the airline as they continue inspecting planes or improperly installed seats. they believe part of a locking mechanisms were not installed properly allowing seats to come undone on three flights. american says it has ruled out sabotage by disgruntled workers. >> somehow in the installation process of the seats there was a failure. we are not sure if it was a mechanical failure or a human failure. >> their investigation is continuing. american and the airlines are continuing discussions. if an agreement could be reached, it could help them with some of the issues they are facing.vals fell.

many of the delays are blamed on the labor issue. kris van cleave, abc 7 news. >> have you ever threatened to leav if your pick for president does not win? jetblue, offering a round-trip tickets for those whose candidate for president did not win -- offering some round-trip tickets. >> that is clever. >> a pretty smart idea. >> yes, it is. a return to summer? just this one day? >> a lot more sunshine. today, it was muggy kind of an aug. -- august feel.

let's take you up to maryland. a dense fog advisory and that lifted out around 10:00, 10:30, and some patches of blue sky. patches of sunshine here and there, like you see on the screen at the moment. the clouds will be with us through the nighttime hours. quantico a high of 87 at the base today and in garrett park, 81 for the high. the front is weak and washing out. 85 in fredericksburg 81 in washington. this will not be a big deal for the next couple of days. humidity levels will drop. muggy tonight, and then drier

air will move in by friday. it will be passed the 70's and 80's -- it will be passed -- past the 70's and 80's. it will be a lot cooler, and we are expecting temperatures near the 60-degree mark on sunday. as we go through the overnight hours, maybe a shower here and there. high pressure will dominate the next couple of days. muggy weather. this is our futurecast. a dry line trying to move through late in the day tomorrow. another sunny day on friday. it will be a nice day but then, a cold front will be moving in. we will have this cooler air

mass. there could be a few showers and then it will really unload on us and give us quite a chill on sunday. kind of cloudy again, an isolated shower. as we get through the day tomorrow, partly cloudy, muggy, with a slight chance of a shower in the forecast. a chance of showers saturday night and sunday morning. a change right around the corner. >> ok. thank you. >> coming up here on abc 7 news at 5:00, the dc cyber attack. >> coming up what the wife of john mohammad says. >> and an investigation into an

[ female announcer ] who will raise taxes on the middle class? barack obama and the liberals already have. to pay for government-run healthcare, you'll pay hgher taxes and more for your medicine. and their plan includes a trillion dollars in higher taxes. even on the middle class. mitt romney and common sense conservatives will cut taxes on the middle class. and they'll close loopholes for millionaires. obama and his liberal allies? we can't afford four more years. [ romney] i'm mitt romney and i approve this message. >> well, we are happy to say that the dog is making a recovery. >> the dog was stabbed after an incident. we went out to find out how she is doing. >> with her shaved skin you can still see the scars on this two-

year-old. they were worried that she would not make it. it was stabbed seven times. it was following a domestic dispute. >> we were very concerned. >> several of the wounds were serious. michael is an officer with the washington humane society. he has been out there rescuing abused pets. >> i was surprised what happened. in this case, she recovered and is resting. >> walking around. >> how can you do that to that poor little thing? there are some sick people in the world. >> it was thought that the suspect has mental issues.

the dog is loving life. >> there are others. you can find them on our website. >> you can learn something from animals like that. >> it is nice to see someone taking such good care of her now. well still to come on abc 7 news at 5:00 new details about killing osama bin laden. what the president was preparing to do if he had been captured alive. >> and i am brad bell. 10 years to the day, t

president obama: during the last weeks of this campaign... there will be debates, speeches, and more ads. but if i could sit down with you, in your living room or... around the kitchen table, here's what i'd say.

when i took office, we were losing nearly eight hundred... thousand jobs a month, and were mired in iraq. today, i believe that as a nation we are... moving forward again. but we have much more to do to get folks back to work and... make the middle class secure again. now, governor romney believes that with even bigger... tax cuts for the wealthy, and fewer regulations... on wall street, all of us will prosper. in other words, he'd double down on the same trickle-down... policies that led to the crisis in the first place. so what's my plan? first, we create a million new manufacturing jobs... and help businesses double their exports... give tax breaks to companies that... invest in america, not that ship jobs overseas. second, we cut our oil imports in half and produce more... american-made energy. oil, clean coal, natural gas... and new resources like wind, solar, and biofuels. all while doubling the fuel efficiency of cars and trucks. third, we ensure that we maintain the best workforce... in the world by preparing a hundred thousand additional...

math and science teachers; training two million... americans with the job skills they need atat our community... colleges; cutting the growth of tuition in hf and... expanding student aid so more americans can afford it. fourth, a balanced plan to reduce our deficit by... four trillion dollars over the next decade, on top of the... trillion in spending we've already cut. i'd ask the wealthy to pay a little more. and as we end the war in afghanistan... let's apply half the savings to pay down our debt and... use the rest for some nation-building... right here at home. it's time for a new economic patriotism, rooted in the... belief that growing our economy begins with a strong... thriving middle class. read my plan. compare it to governor romney's,and decide for yourself. thanks for listening. i'm barack oma and i approve this message. >> you are watching abc 7 news

at 5:00, on your side. >> today marks the tenures since the terrifying day when there was a shooting -- today marks 10 years since the terrifying day when there was a shooting. john allen muhammad his wife is telling a story. brad? >> yes alison, 10 years ago i stood in this spot. the second shooting took place at that gas pump. the police tried to figure out what on earth was going on with the so-called d.c. sniper. today, we had a chance to talk to mildred the ex-wife of john allen muhammad the d.c. sniper. she said that day she was

terrified, like everybody else. she had no idea her husband was involved. one man was killed as he cut grass along rockville pike. later, one other was killed as he pumped-up -- pumped gas. another was killed at leisure world plaza. for a while the shooting stopped. >> everybody was terrified. >> miles away, a woman named mildred saw the news, too. 20 days later police would knock on her door and tell her that her ex-husband was the sniper, along with his accomplice lee boyd malvo and

was after her. what he wanted was his children back from her. she says the man she once loved changed in the military. >> when he went away and came back -- >> another person was killed in the district, and mildred nothing of john allen muhammad's involvement. -- knew nothing of his involvement. we asked her how she would describe john allen muhammad and she said she could not put a word on it to describe the father of her children. she believes he was a victim of posttraumatic stress disorder. brad bell, abc 7 news. >> thank you.

we are learning more about an agent that was shot. this was near tucson. another agent was hurt, and a third escaped unharmed. a manhunt is underway to find the shooter. this is the fourth agent to be killed since 2008. and a fire describes -- destroyed a mobile home. newschopper 7, the view. there was a report of threats made that came from the mobile home this morning. hours later fire crews were called to put out the flames. >> and now, let's take a look at our other top stories tonight. tonight, there may be five women involved after a woman says a man grabbed and fondled her.

her attack is similar to the previous ones. they say he has a goatee and a red baseball cap. >> tonight, police are asking for help in tracking down the suspect in an assault of an elderly man. >> and at nationals park, teddy roosevelt finally crossed the finish line first. we do not know what this will mean for the lettedwin website. with world news, i talked to diane sawyer to see what they had -- have planned. all eyes will be on denver in just a few hours.

>> yes president obama and mitt romney face to face. we have been watching them coming in to look at the stage. our political team is out in force, and we also -- out in force. >> we also talked about the peanut butter recall, and i understand that it is in the news tonight. >> we are going to take you hour by hour through what happened -- happens. we will take you through tonight. >> thank you, diane. you can watch those stories and more on "world news, " right after abc 7 news at 6:00. >> a gas leak. take a look at this video. a construction crew caused a break in a line, and it was

repaired with the lanes shutdown. and we have more details about traffic. >> 95 southbound, some delays, across the occoquan, and some big delays near nationals park. pretty much the links of the freeway. delays on 395 at duke street. we are seeing delays across the american legion bridge towards the 270 spurred -- spur. back to you. >> thank you very much. still to come on abc 7 news at 5:00 she was the first african american woman to rise to the rank of admiral, and there is

more to her story. >> and tonight, we wi

i'm barack obama, and i approve this message. these appliances could have been made here in america. but zed profits by paying its workers next to nothing... under sweatshop conditions in china. when mitt romney led. even knowing that the firm promoted its practice of exploiting... low-wage laborabo its investors. mitt romney - tough on china? since when?

bye, mom. we're here! [ giggling ] these days, nobody has time to get sick. mom, i don't feel good. but minuteclinic makes it easy to get well. our nurse practitioners can diagnose and write prescriptions for everything from strep throat to sinus infections with no appointment necessary, so you can feel better in no time. minuteclinic, the medical clinic in cvs pharmacy now offering flu sts every day, no appointment necessary. find a clinic nearou at minuteclinicom. >> getting students interested in science can be quite a

challenge. the children's science center in northern virginia is tonight's harris' heroes. >> one two three. >> the kids here in herndon loved it. hydrogen peroxide, a mixture. another experiment a balloon a plastic bottle, and some simple ingredients. >> it is blowing up the balloon. >> and before you know it they are learning about the chemical compound co2. >> how it pushes the air in the balloon. >> it travels to schools,teaching science technology, engineering, and mathematics. using experiments like this one

to blow up some bubbles to spark a fascination with science. some require a lot of hot air. watching it shoot across the floor. learning the different effects earthquakes have. one day, the world will depend on this generation to tackle global challenges. >> if they do not have an understanding of science they will be finding it difficult. >> and after just one night at the children's science center these kids already seems smarter. >> actually, i am. >> is a roving organization but they have plans. to learn more, just go to

wjla.com and click on harris' heroes. >> thanks, leon. science is taking on one of the classic home remedies. warding off cold symptoms. and full steam ahead. the first african-american woman to become a three-star officer. she sits

>> a trailblazer her entire career michelle howard, reaching the rank of a three- star. >> surviving the attack on the pentagon, and the struggles up the ladder of success. maureen bunyan reports. >> the seaswere often rough for this sailor.

>> those who did not want me there or who were trying to undermine what i was trying to do. >> vice admiral michelle howard, headquartered in north. -- norfolk. she has been front and center for many crises. >> you could see the smoke coming out of the building. i said to myself, i need to be able to defend my nation. >> that resolve helped to have her become the first african- american woman to command a warship, and the first to lead an expeditionary strike group, finding pirates. somali pirates hijack a cargo

ship -- a hijacked -- pirates hijacked a cargo ship, and she devised a plan, also involving alarge team of u.s. forces. the five-day standoff ended when navy seals shot and killed all three pirates. >> yes, we got him. >> she also keeps a close eye on brewing threats. as for the admiral's hopes -- >> i hope they invite me back for that. i would love to be there. >> i am sure she will be there. she graduated from the naval

academy at annapolis. of all of her accomplishments she is most proud to be the first african-american woman to command a warship. >> osama bin laden going to federal court if he had survived? the president is saying he could make a strong argument for giving him the full rights of a criminal defendant. >> looking to ease or not out -- knock out that cold? vitamin d increasing those levels in a new report, does not help. it does play a key role in immune function.

and gordon has a look ahead at 6:00. >> tonight, president obama and mitt romney prepare for the first debate of this campaign. coming up at 6:00 a look at what to and expect when they are -- what to expect tonight. and the thieves in a rash of burglaries are taking some things he might not expect. >> thank you. coming up tonight, the presidential debates. and then deciding what to do after she gets fired from the car dealership. >> this was not such a horrible place to come to every day. bye. dibs on her desk.

>> "the middle" is on at 8:00, with abc 7 news at 11:00. >> we will be getting cold here weatherwise, that is for sure. >> august like weather. >> let's get a start over at washington lee high school. some breaks in the overcast should make for a very pretty sunset.81 in frederick. 82 degrees in manassas. as we go through the evening hours, more cloudiness. light showers, sprinkled with some fog overnight. for the overnight hours we will call it mostly cloudy, patchy fog, 64 to 69 degrees, and then tomorrow muggy again.

near 80 degrees 81 on friday, and partly sunny on saturday. but in the evening hours a cold front, and then sunday, mostly cloudy breezy, chilly. a chance of light rain, and then we will have some nice and dry weather. leon alison back to you. >> he has been chuckling all evening because of the nats. >> i got send text messages about him winning -- i got 10 text messages. >> snagging the best record in baseball. forget the reds. the nats will win the record. and a two- play.

the nationals win 5-1. now, we will wait for the winner of the wild card game to play on sunday. >> they are great at home and great on the road. they have got a great lineup. >> i think the consensus was nobody really cares. we are going to have to face them at one time or another. >> earlier in the broadcast a little help from the phillies' fanatic. but anyone -- toddy won. -- teddy won. rg3, he goes down he comes back

up. another big test. for-0, the red-hot atlanta falcons -- 4-0. going head-to-head. >> it is not that any individual -- people are going out there doing things on their own. everybody is contributing. the future is looking bright. also have to take it one day at a time. >> sunday, gear up. >> who is the bigger star?

president obama: during the last weeks of this campaign... there will be debates, speeches, and more ads. but if i could sit down with you, in your livg room or... around the kitchen table, here's what i'd say. when i took office, we were losing nearly eight hundred... thousand jobs a month, and were mired in iraq. today, i believe that as a nation we are... moving forward again. but we have much more to do to get folks back to work and... make the middle class secure again. now, governor romney believes that with even bigger... tax cuts for the wealthy, and fewer regulations... on wall street, all of us will prosper. in other words, he'd double down on the same trickle-down... policies that led to the crisis in the first place. so what's my plan? first, we crte a million new manufacturing jobs...

and help businesses double their exports... give tax breaks to companies that... invest in america, not that ship jobs overseas. second, we cut our oil imports in half and produce more... american-made energy. oil, clean coal, natural gas... and new resources like wind, solar, and biofuels. all while doubling the fuel efficiency of cars and trucks. third, we ensure that we maintain the best workforce... in the world by preparing a hundred thousand additional... math and science teachers; training two million... americans with the job skills they need at our community... colleges; cutting the growth of tuition in half and... expanding student aid so more americans can afford it. fourth, a balanced plan to reduce our deficit by... four trillion dollars over the next decade, on top of the... trillion in spending we've already cut. i'd ask the wealthy to pay a little more. and as we end the war in afghanistan... let's apply half the savings to pay down our debt and... use the rest for some nation-building... right here at home. it's time for a new economic patriotism, rooted in the...

belief that growing our economy begins with a strong... thriving middle class. read my plan. compare it to governor romney's, and decide for yourself. thanks for listening. i'm barack obama and i approve this msage. >> victims of domestic violence now have a unique place to turn in montgomery county. >> abc 7's greta kreuz takes us there.

>> she was is -- wishes she had it this -- had this. four years ago her abusive ex- boyfriend tried to kill her. she was stabbed and beaten before police arrived and shot him, but she knows how difficult getting help can be. >> you have to get a baby sitter lose days from worked -- work. law-enforcement, legal counseling services, all under one roof. >> somebody there will be able to help you, if it is free. >> domestic-abuse victims are helped by a new law allowing them to collect money if they have to leave, immediately.

>> do not stay because you need a paycheck. >> there is an added, permanent feature to make all deal less traumatic -- make the whole deal less traumatic. >> making people feel more comfortable. >> they say it makes all of the difference. in rockville greta kreuz, abc 7 news. >> and that is on now for abc 7 news at 5:00. coming up at 6:00 -- >> attacking each other for months from a far -- from afar president obama at mitt romney debate. breaking into offices on capitol hill. wait until you hear what they

are getting away with. i am horace holmes. >> life and in hd this is abc 7 news at 6:00, on your side -- live and in hd. >> president obama and mitt romney are now in denver. the president arrived just a short time ago. it is at the university of denver. with a range of domestic issues to discuss this will be the first time they go head to head in front of millions of americans. scott thuman will be following